Nativity, Family, and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Behavior

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的二十年里，美国年轻人的性与生殖健康和行为发生了重要的变化。由于具有移民背景的儿童是人口中增长最快的部分（Tienda和Haskins 2011），这些趋势的未来方向将越来越多地取决于健康和健康行为的出生差异。成年过渡期的性健康和生殖健康及行为会对健康和福祉产生终身影响，并随着医疗费用的飙升而产生重大经济后果。尽管对移民的健康优势和出生在生育率方面的差异进行了大量研究，但迄今为止对移民青年的性健康和生殖健康及行为的研究有限，而且未能解释观察到的出生差异。Goldberg博士建议使用两项具有全国代表性的纵向调查来检查美国年轻男性和女性在性行为开始和第一次生育的时间以及性传播感染的存在方面的出生差异，并调查健康方面出生差异的关键机制。可以想象，新移民在各种结果中观察到的健康优势（例如，Cho et al. 2004; Hummer et al. 2007）反映了他们的来源国社会化。为了研究社会化背景是否以及如何影响出生与青少年性健康和生殖健康及行为之间观察到的联系，Goldberg博士建议将移民年龄（早期社会化程度的重要代表）与东道国制度和价值观以及原籍地区相结合。该研究还将调查不同类型的家庭不稳定是否以及如何调解观察到的出生与兴趣结果之间的关系。对移民健康优势的一个主要解释是，移民子女比本地人更倾向于与已婚父母稳定地生活在一起（Perreira and Ornelas 2011; Haskins and Tienda 2011）；然而，与移民相关的家庭破裂和重建，以及近亲和非近亲倍增的时期，可能对具有移民背景的青年构成风险（Adsera和Tienda 2012； Angel和Tienda 1982； Tienda和Angel 1982）。为了完成拟议的研究计划，Goldberg博士需要在国际移民和美国儿童和家庭领域进行额外的实质性培训，并在生存分析和多层次建模等主题上进行方法学培训。Goldberg博士的导师团队制定了一个定制的培训计划，除了一对一的指导外，还包括正式的课程和研讨会，旨在在计划的时间框架内执行拟议的研究计划；拓展她的职业网络；提高她的出版记录；更重要的是，提出一份有竞争力的联邦拨款提案。这些活动结合起来，将确保她成功地在一所主要的研究型大学获得学术职位。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The past two decades have witnessed important shifts in the sexual and reproductive health and behavior of U.S. youth. As children with migration backgrounds are the fastest-growing segment of the population (Tienda and Haskins 2011), the future direction of these trends increasingly will depend on nativity differentials in health and health behavior. Sexual and reproductive health and behavior during the transition to adulthood have lifelong implications for health and wellbeing, and major economic consequences as medical costs skyrocket. Despite a large body of work on the immigrant health advantage, and nativity differences in fertility, research to date on the sexual and reproductive health and behavior of immigrant youth has been limited and has stopped short of explaining observed nativity differentials. Dr. Goldberg proposes to use two nationally representative longitudinal surveys to examine nativity differences in the timing of sexual initiation and first birth and the presence of sexually transmitted infections among young men and women in the United States, and to investigate key mechanisms for nativity differentials in health. It is conceivable that recent immigrants' observed health advantage across a variety of outcomes (e.g., Cho et al. 2004; Hummer et al. 2007) reflects their source country socialization. To examine whether and how context of socialization influences observed links between nativity and youth sexual and reproductive health and behavior, Dr. Goldberg proposes to pair measures of age at immigration, an important proxy for the extent of early socialization into host country institutions and values, and region of origin. The proposed research also will investigate whether and how various types of family instability mediate observed relationships between nativity and the outcomes of interest. A major explanation for the immigrant health advantage centers on immigrant children's greater tendency than natives to live with married parents in stable unions (Perreira and Ornelas 2011; Haskins and Tienda 2011); however, family disruption and reconstitution associated with immigration, and periods of doubling up with extended kin and non-kin, may pose risks for youth with migration backgrounds (Adsera and Tienda 2012; Angel and Tienda 1982; Tienda and Angel 1982). To fulfill the proposed research plan, Dr. Goldberg requires additional substantive training in the areas of international immigration and U.S. children and families, and methodological training in topics such as survival analysis and multilevel modeling. Dr. Goldberg's team of mentors have developed a customized training plan that includes formal coursework and seminars in addition to one-on-one mentoring, which is designed to execute the proposed research plan within the planned timeframe; to extend her professional networks; to enhance her publication record; and, importantly, to produce a competitive federal grant proposal. Combined, these activities will ensure her success in obtaining an academic position at a major research university.